What’s the fascination with con men? Is it that we just love to see people get taken and to what extremes people will go? Is it the thrill of the setup with the oh-so-sweet payoff?
Matthew Klein’s debut novel CON ED only will add to the public’s fascination with shady grifter types. His protagonist is Kip Largo, a former con man trying to go straight after making a living in the informercial biz that involved juggling around some invested capital.
Now out of prison for a year, Kip works at a dry cleaner. One day, a beautiful women finds him and offers him a “job” opportunity to the tune of a cool hundred grand. The girl in question is Lauren Napier, the young wife of casino owner Ed Napier.
Kip explains he is no longer in that line of work, which is true … until his son Toby shows up out of the blue, deep in debt to the Russian mob. Kip figures, “why just a hundred grand?” and aims a lot higher.
Klein writes the story as if you’re sitting at a bar having drinks with this colorful character who could rob you blind. Throughout the book, he describes short con games that have bearing to the story, and as the plot moves smoothly along, you’re enthralled. Even when you see things going the wrong way for Kip, you’re still pulling for him to pull it off.
The con in question deals with the buying and selling of stocks, but to explain any further will ruin the surprises of the great shell game that is CON ED. Even though there were two little revelations I saw early on in the plot, the payoff wasn’t ruined, since the twist is something you won’t see coming. CON ED should be looked upon as THE GRIFTERS for the 21st century. –Rod Lott
